Digital Marketing and Ecommerce Career Progression

Digital Marketing and Ecommerce Career Progression

Many are aware that I schedule counseling sessions on Clarity.fm where I offer suggestions on resume construction and LinkedIn profiles, as well as digital marketing and ecommerce career progression. I am often asked: What is the one question candidates ask me the most?

This one, BY FAR:

“I feel stuck. How do I get to that next step in my career with more responsibility, a bigger title and higher compensation?”

After nearly 30 years of executive search, I can tell you that is there is no one-size-fits-all strategy when it comes to digital marketing and ecommerce career progression. I’ve never talked with two candidates whose individual circumstances, past histories, industry preferences, educational backgrounds, career goals, etc. were the same, and there are many different paths one can take to get from A to B. I’ve seen candidates create entirely new roles within their existing company, while others have built their careers by making strategic sideways and off-the-ladder diagonal moves that served as perches for eventually moving up. Some have even stayed put with one employer and slowly climbed the corporate ladder.

But I tell everyone: Digital marketing and ecommerce career progression all starts with your resume, and without a strong resume, you put yourself at an immediate disadvantage. And I’m not just talking about formatting, or whether to include images, or how many pages your resume should be. There is one powerful aspect to resume writing that is frequently overlooked:

Instead of writing everything to the past or present, you should also try write it with what I call a “future voice.”

Digital marketing and ecommerce lends itself very well to this concept because they are job functions rather than industry categories. There are distinct titles that tend to distinguish one level of responsibility from another. There are individual contributors, there are Managers, Sr. Managers, Directors, Sr. Directors, VP’s and so on. You might have leap-frogged over a title along the way but chances are sometime during your career you’ll want make a run for that next title up, whatever it may be. And this is where candidates should think about painting their resumes with a slightly different brush, so that employers will view you not just for who you are and what you’ve been, but also for what you could become.

Let me give you an example.

Let’s say you’re a Manager of Digital Marketing, and let’s assume you’re on a dead-end path with little or no opportunity to move up with your current employer. As we know, Managers of Digital Marketing (which I’m roughly defining as those with up to around 10 years of experience, give or take) are hired for their hands-on expertise with channels and platforms. Some have managed a small staff and may have even had limited P and L, but their world largely revolves around projects and campaigns. But you’re ambitious. You want to be a Director someday, and you believe you have the skills, the track record and the confidence to get there. Directors live in a world of marketing programs, not just campaigns. They think in terms of a coherent business plan, a path towards reaching business objectives. They are a leader in planning and design, and they also typically have larger staffs so management and leadership skills become more important.

As as Manager, the depth of your experience in each of these elements may be limited, but perhaps not so far removed that you can’t include on your resume instances where you performed Director-like tasks. Perhaps you participated in higher level planning or strategy meetings with top leaders, or maybe led a team on a special project or multiple projects. You might have even made some key spending decisions or worked with an internal agency or shared services. There are lots of things Managers do that cross the Manager/Director divide, and by showcasing those Director-level abilities you will be presenting that experience in a light that supports your career goals. You will be viewed as more than just a Manager, but rather, as someone who is poised to take on next-level responsibilities. This approach helps to create an entirely different perception on the part of the employer about who you are. And if you don’t do it, no one else will.

Next time you refresh your resume, check how well you’re speaking in that “future voice”. You might just be surprised how much digital marketing future you can find in your past, and give your digital marketing and ecommerce career progression a boost.

Jerry Bernhart, Principal of Bernhart Associates Executive Search, LLC, is one of the nation’s preeminent and veteran executive recruiters in ecommerce, digital and multichannel marketing, and CRM. With more than 80 published LinkedIn articles, Jerry is the “voice” of best practices in the recruitment and hiring of ecommerce and digital marketing professionals. Jerry is also the author of the critically acclaimed book, “Careers in Ecommerce and Digital Marketing,” on Amazon, and participates in many leading digital marketing and ecommerce conferences. Jerry has been recruiting and placing marketing professionals for more than 28 years. Check out Jerry’s other insights on the Thought Leadership section of the Bernhart Associates website.

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Jerry Bernhart is founder and principal of Bernhart Associates Executive Search, LLC, a preeminent executive search firm specializing in multichannel direct marketing, digital marketing, ecommerce and CRM, serving clients ranging from start ups to Fortune 50. Jerry Bernhart is a recognized thought leader and widely followed LinkedIn writer and blogger on recruitment and talent development in these highly specialized marketing disciplines, and is author of the critically acclaimed "Careers in eCommerce and Digital Marketing," the first book of its kind on career preparation and present/future opportunities within the major specialties of ecommerce and digital marketing.
Jerry's writings and interviews on best practices in hiring and talent management appear throughout the web. He is a frequent presenter at leading online-marketing related conferences and webinars, and he is also a contributing author to MarketingProfs, Internet Retailer, Forrester, Loyalty360, DM News, AdAge, Multichannel Merchant, Target Marketing and many others. Jerry has placed more than 650 B2C and B2B marketers with clients of all sizes and across all major industries since 1990.
Jerry's blog features insights and fresh perspectives from one of the nation's top recruiters in digital, ecommerce and multichannel direct marketing.